- John the Fisherman
Infobox Single
Name = John the Fisherman
Artist = Primus
from Album =Frizzle Fry
B-side =
Released = 1990
Format =
Recorded =
Genre =Alternative rock Funk metal Alternative metal
Length = 3:37
Label = Caroline Records (1990),Prawn Song Records (2002)
Writer = Claypool/Huth
Producer = Primus and "Exxon" Matt Winegar
Certification =
Chart position =
Last single =
This single = John the Fisherman 1990
Next single =Too Many Puppies 1990
Misc ="John the Fisherman" is the first single by the alternative rock band Primus, released first live in
1989 on "Suck on This ", then re-released a year later, this time studio recorded, on "Frizzle Fry ". It is part of a three-part story called theFisherman's Chronicles .Although the band did release the song as a single and filmed a video for it (featuring the band members performing the song on a boat, with a cameo appearance by
Kirk Hammett ofMetallica ), the single had very limited success due to its being released on an indie label, and the band did not receive mainstream attention until their next, "Jerry Was A Race Car Driver ", from their 1991 major label debut "Sailing the Seas of Cheese ". Because of this, many overlook "John the Fisherman" and claim "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver" was Primus' first single.When "
Frizzle Fry " was re-released in2002 , many fans who caught on during the major label days of the band bought the album, and it became a fan favorite. There was a new interest in this song, and it received some radio andMTV airplay.This song is part one of the Fisherman Chronicles, which continued on in Primus' later albums. Its immediate sequel was "Fish On (Fisherman Chronicles, Chapter II)" on 1991's "
Sailing the Seas of Cheese ", followed by "The Old Diamondback Sturgeon (Fisherman's Chronicles, Pt. 3)" on 1993's "Pork Soda ".The live version that appears on "
Suck on This " contains an intro of the Rush song YYZ.The song is playable in the
PlayStation 2 andXbox 360 game "Guitar Hero II " in the "Return of the Shred" tier. Unlike most of the other songs from established artists that appear in the first two "Guitar Hero" games, "John the Fisherman" is Primus' master track instead of a cover version.The song was briefly played on the "South Park " episode "Guitar Queer-o ."References
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